Chapter 556 Dire Circumstances, Beast Rider
'Facing a level 50 world boss with such a small group. Either they are confident in their skills or a bunch of fools. Though to get it this weak, I can only assume it's the former.'
The Polkentin's Failed Chimera was nothing like the Demonic Beast Shadow Wolf Izroth faced at the beginning of RML. It was a genuine world boss that reached the level 50 threshold—this set it in a different league altogether!
Battling a monster like that was not something a random group of players who suddenly decided to form a party could accomplish. Besides the top ten guilds, not many organizations could muster up that quality and quantity of fighting potential. However, Izroth did not recognize any of the faces among the players.
As he scanned the battlefield, Izroth noticed something unusual about it. Initially, he paid no attention to it. But, as the seconds ticked by and nothing changed, he started to grow skeptical.
On the ground were twenty players who lay motionless. The bizarre part was that Izroth did not see any flames coming from their bodies with his Energy Vision Sense, which could only mean one of two things.
They were either extremely skilled at hiding their presence, or—everyone on the ground was already dead! In this situation, Izroth leaned towards the latter.
Why had their bodies not yet dissipated? This was the question that spawned in Izroth's mind.
'Something's about to happen.'
Using his Energy Vision Sense, Izroth observed the multi-colored flames that encompassed the Failed Chimera's body rapidly expand.
Out of nowhere, right as the creature's HP reached 5%, the numerous bodies of players scattered across the battlefield emitted a dark purple glow.
Not too long after, the dark purple energy took on a humanoid figure as they hovered stationary above each player's body, excluding those who were alive.
"Don't let it feed! Banshee, intercept it!" The party's tank yelled as he blocked an incoming swipe from the Failed Chimera's heavy paw. The force generated by the blow caused the earth beneath the warrior's feet to fracture; however, he managed to hold his ground firmly.
Hssst!
Right as the tank defended against the Failed Chimera's frontal assault, a thick layer of corrupted mana emerged from its serpent tail. The next second, a magical projection of a serpent shot from the Failed Chimera's tail and raced towards the nearest player sprawled out on the ground. Or, to be more precise, the dark purple energy over their body!
"Leave it to me, Brick!" One of the damage dealers with a fighter-type class declared. She was the one the party's tank called Banshee.
Banshee used the high-ranked fighter movement skill Nimble Footwork to gain a large burst of movement speed. In the blink of an eye, she was able to position herself in between the magical serpent projection and the humanoid figure of energy.
Bang!
Banshee crossed her arms defensively as the serpent's projection collided with her. Although she was successful in guarding against the attack, Banshee was temporarily paralyzed as a result. In addition, her HP plummeted, increasing the strain on the supporters, who were already struggling to keep the tank alive.
"We're almost out of mana over here, and our potions are on cooldown! At this rate, we will run out before we manage to kill this thing!" One of the cleric-type supports warned.
"If only the guild leader were here. Tch, of all the targets to randomly teleport away, it had to be them..!" The tank, who went by the name of One Shot Brick, grumbled under his breath.
But, just when the party thought that things could not get any worse, something occurred for the first time since their fight began—a second serpent projection split off from the halfway point of the initial projection!
Everyone was dumbfounded by the abrupt appearance of a second serpent. This was bad—really bad!
The second magical serpent immediately rushed in the direction of a different humanoid energy figure.
"Stop it!" One Shot Brick shouted.
However, it was too late. Besides the paralyzed Banshee, the other damage dealers and supports were too far away. As for One Shot Brick himself, even if by some miracle he could make it over there in time, he did not have the luxury of disengaging from the Failed Chimera.
Phhhkt!
The magical serpent sunk its fangs into one of the humanoid figures of dark purple energy, and in the next moment, both the magical serpents and purple energy vanished. It was soon followed by the disappearance of the other energy figures that hovered above the eliminated players.
"It's over..." One of the supporters said with a look of dread.
5%...
10%...
15%...
20%...
25%!
In a flash, the Failed Chimera's HP increased from 5% to 25%—it healed by a staggering 20%! This was not a dungeon boss, but a world boss! Its HP value was already unnaturally high for a wild monster. To heal by 20% when they were so close to obtaining victory devastated the party.
One Shot Brick grit his teeth and said, "We aren't giving up now! We've come this far! No matter what, we are going to see this through to the end and walk away victorious!"
Although the words he spoke were meant to motivate everyone, even One Shot Brick himself did not believe in what was he was saying. Without a doubt, this battle was over.
'A pity.'
Izroth saw their hopeful expressions turn into one of defeat. While he possessed the power to help them, there was no obligation for him to do so.
Besides, if it were loot he wanted, the best thing would be to wait until the last player died before making his move against the Failed Chimera.
However, since it was a level 50 world boss, Izroth understood that even he would have difficulty facing it by himself at his current level of strength—this was even more so after witnessing what its tail alone could do.
Unlike the Shadow Wolf, a world boss like the Failed Chimera required several days of preparation to face. Even then, there were still unknown variables, such as that second magical serpent that did not make its appearance until the Failed Chimera reached 5% HP.
'Fighting it alone would consume too much of my time. I could try to finish it off in one blow with my second or third baneful swords, but I have no enmity against them. Not to mention...'
Izroth's second baneful sword had an execution effect attached to it. As long as one was below 25% HP, they would be instantly killed. But, execution effects tended to be unreliable when it came to boss monsters as most were immune to instant death skills.
As for his third baneful sword—it did not differentiate between ally and foe, and so, he had no doubt in his mind that the players down there would be swept away along with the Failed Chimera!
Just as Izroth was pondering on whether or not he should act, his ears twitched at the sound of something rapidly approaching in the distance.
Woosh!
All of a sudden, a strong gust of wind blew past Izroth as he glanced to his side and saw a large wolf beast with two tails soaring over the tree branch he stood on.
The wolf beast's eyes were the color of blue flames, and it had two horns protruding from the top of its head. Across its right eye were three scars that looked as if they were made by sharp claws during a fierce battle.
But, the surprising part was that someone was sitting on the wolf beast's back with their legs gracefully at its side—a woman.
A wave of silver hair with edges brushed in lilac entered Izroth's vision. That's when their eyes met. For a brief moment, it was like gazing into a bouquet of lavender hydrangea with a kiss of pink.
The woman's lip slightly parted as though she were startled by Izroth's presence. However, her lips curled into a smile as if she had realized something interesting.
The encounter only lasted for a fraction of a second as the wolf beast swiftly charged towards the Failed Chimera! Though Izroth was able to get a clear look at the woman's player name when she passed by.
'Meng Jiang... I'm not familiar with that name. But, to ride a beast like a mount—could it be related to that person? The Beast Rider.'